Pontiac Motor Division got it’s first V8 rumbling in 1955 and continued building power plants until 1981. During its heyday decades of the ‘60s and ‘70s, all cubic-inch displacement Pontiac V8 motors utilized the same mid-size cast-iron block. A division that would become known for it’s forward thinking vehicle designs also thought out of the box when it came to engine building.
The most famous large journal engine was the 455cid, which debuted in 1970 and was the last of the factory Super Duty’s, built exclusively for the 1973-’74 SD-455 Trans Am, to many, the last of the original muscle cars. So when someone asks about Pontiac engines, at least now you’ll know, that Pontiac didn’t do big-block/small-block.
Article courtesy of Street Muscle Magazine, written by Andrew Nussbaum.